The New York Times writes, "U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Friday for a peaceful solution to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where China's increased assertiveness has alarmed its smaller neighbors. Ban told reporters in Hanoi that he and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang discussed regional security concerns, including the territorial tensions...Vietnam, along with the Philippines, is one of the most vocal critics of China's activities in the disputed waters, where Beijing has been creating new artificial islands through massive land reclamation. Other claimants include Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan."
According to The New York Times, "Negotiators from 57 governments completed work Friday on a charter for a Chinese-led Asian regional bank that is to be signed in late June, the Chinese finance ministry said. Beijing's proposal for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank attracted unexpected widespread support from Western governments including Britain, New Zealand and France despite U.S. opposition. Washington and its ally Japan have refrained from seeking membership. Agreement on the charter followed a three-day meeting in Singapore of envoys from proposed member governments, the finance ministry statement said. Other nations that have expressed interest in joining include India, Germany and Thailand."
"China said on Friday it was 'strongly dissatisfied' after a U.S. military plane flew over part of the South China Sea near where China is building artificial islands, and called on the United States to stop such action or risk causing an accident. The Chinese navy issued eight warnings to the U.S. P8-A Poseidon, the U.S. military's most advanced surveillance aircraft, when it conducted the overflights on Wednesday, according to CNN, which had a team on board the U.S. aircraft," writes Reuters.